Is WEMP/New York Soft Launch Imminent?

August 11, 2011 at 4:35 PM (PT)

After weeks of stunting with Hot AC and doing trial runs of news and features, ALL ACCESS hears that a soft launch of MERLIN MEDIA's new News format on WEMP (formerly WRXP)/NEW YORK is imminent. The station has been airing longer and longer news blocks amidst the music programming, some an hour long and THURSDAY afternoon with a four-hour block using some of the same liners as in use at sister News WWWN/CHICAGO, which caused some in the media to jump to the conclusion that the station had done its soft launch already until the station reverted to music at 7p (ET).

While MERLIN folks aren't talking on the record, people hoping to catch the new format's official soft launch will probably want to have their radios set to 101.9 in the NEW YORK area in time for FRIDAY (8/12) morning drive. Stay (literally) tuned....